Toilets for "customer use"

[goldfish]

I was driving on a long journey for work early this morning, and without being too graphic, was bursting for a pee, literally to the point that I couldn't drive safely! Everywhere was shut as it was quite early and it was in quite a remote area, but I eventually pulled over at a hotel and the bar was open. I asked nicely if I could quickly use their toilet, and was told that no, they were for customers only and I'd have to buy something. I didn't have any money on me, and explained all this, but the woman got upset and said it was like "walking into someone's house and using their toilet".

I thought this was a bit unreasonable - it was a public bar with the door open, I genuinely didn't have any cash with me, and it really was pretty necessary! When nature calls (insistently), what are you to do?! What if I was pregnant or had a medical condition? Bring on the opinions...

[Skylark]

I was driving on a long journey for work early this morning, and without being too graphic, was bursting for a pee, literally to the point that I couldn't drive safely! Everywhere was shut as it was quite early and it was in quite a remote area, but I eventually pulled over at a hotel and the bar was open. I asked nicely if I could quickly use their toilet, and was told that no, they were for customers only and I'd have to buy something. I didn't have any money on me, and explained all this, but the woman got upset and said it was like "walking into someone's house and using their toilet".

I thought this was a bit unreasonable - it was a public bar with the door open, I genuinely didn't have any cash with me, and it really was pretty necessary! When nature calls (insistently), what are you to do?! What if I was pregnant or had a medical condition? Bring on the opinions...

Tell them the bathroom may not be public, but their floor is. They'll probably hand over the key pretty fast if you threaten to pee on their floor.

[vigilant20]

I usually stop at mcdonalds actually...they actually clean their potties unlike a lot of gas stations I've seen!

[Skylark]

Or, if it's a country area, you can probably find a stand of trees close to the road. I've done that on many a rural bike ride.

[goldfish]

Haha, I'm usually totally happy to have a wee outdoors - there just wasn't anywhere very discreet to do it in the area :)

It was more the woman's attitude that irritated me. Sometimes, you just have to go! I sort of understand it in a busy city centre where you would get hoardes of people in messing up the toilet, but this place was pretty remote. Actually, maybe that was it - they only stay in business by forcing deperate passers-by to buy a coffee to use the toilet!

[Fyvel]

Oh I'm sorry they treated you like that :( That really sucks.

I have ulcerative colitis, and when I'm flaring and need to go I NEED TO GO, if you know what I mean. One of my fears is that I won't be allowed in a bathroom for just that reason sometime. I actually read that 'they' (don't ask me who, I forget) were trying to get a law passed so that people with medical conditions can get a card from their doctor and all public places would then have to allow that person to use their bathroom when presented with the card. I think that would be a good start at least (but doesn't really help anyone without a medical condition when they just really gotta go)

[NoMeatMary]

Next time, you could do a faux puke. Just put your hand over your mouth while asking where the bathroom is and do the herky-jerky movement like you're about to blow. This also works when you're fighting a crowd and trying to get to the front row of a concert. :shifty:

[attagirl]

I live and work in a tourist town, and we do not allow people to use the bathroom regardless if they buy something or not, and for good reason- a lot of people would make a mess of it, peeing on the seat, leaving used pads and tampons in the sink (true story) and the best- a used needle.

it's not unreasonable for an employee to be choosy about who they let use the facilities,or not allow them to at all, if she has to use the same one.

[Masja]

I worked at a gas station for awhile and would have people come in and do drug deals in the bathroom...one person would go in, leave their money and a person would go in afterwards and leave drugs, or vice-a-versa. We had people shoot up in the washrooms, urinate on the seats, plug the toilet, just nasty stuff, so I can understand that perhaps maybe this place has also had bad experiences, but still, there's no reason for someone to be rude to you.

[Moophius]

It's a business, not a charity. They are within their rights to refuse free use of their facilities.

I can't remember the last time I went somewhere without cash, ID, and credit cards on me. And I always buy something from places that let me use their bathroom, even if they don't require it.

[Zen Biology]

"public bar" doesn't mean it's public toilets

[revelsunrise]

When my grandmother was battling cancer we went to a Chinese take-out place and she needed to use the restroom really really bad. She explained to the guy that she was going through Chemo and it did awful things to her system and he told her she needed to go to the grocery story further down in the plaza. Well, she didn't make it. Needless to say, it was a messy drive home, and we no longer patronize that place. So no, I don't think it would have mattered if you had a medical condition.

[Fyvel]

When my grandmother was battling cancer we went to a Chinese take-out place and she needed to use the restroom really really bad. She explained to the guy that she was going through Chemo and it did awful things to her system and he told her she needed to go to the grocery story further down in the plaza. Well, she didn't make it. Needless to say, it was a messy drive home, and we no longer patronize that place. So no, I don't think it would have mattered if you had a medical condition.

:( That's terrible! This is why they need to pass laws that will allow people with medical conditions entry into public bathrooms.

I know if I needed to use the bathroom and stopped someplace and they wouldn't let me use their facilities, I would NEVER spend any money there. Besides I almost alwasy buy a little something at gas stations, etc that I stop at because I feel guilty about using their bathrooms without buying something in return. But I usually buy something on my way out so if they stopped me on my way in and told me I needed to buy something, I'd leave and not return. It's good business to allow people use of the bathrooms because then that person might return another time and spend money, even if they didn't that particular time. I can see them not wanting people abusing their facilities, but having someone stop in a remote area who is about to burst and denying them the bathroom? What point does that serve? Seems like a bit of a power trip to me.

[Zen Biology]

these aren't public bathrooms. they are bathrooms in private businesses. the council builds public bathrooms. it'd good business yes to allow people to use the bathroom but it's not a god given right of random non-customers

if someone just showed up at your doorr would you just letthem in to use the toilet? no. so why is a business different? u can't jsut run around expecting to pee whereever you want to that's the way dogs think

[Huckleberry]

u can't jsut run around expecting to pee whereever you want to that's the way dogs think

I don't think the OP is going around peeing wherever she wants. If she were she wouldn't have been so desperate to use the bar's toilet.

[Fyvel]

these aren't public bathrooms. they are bathrooms in private businesses. the council builds public bathrooms. it'd good business yes to allow people to use the bathroom but it's not a god given right of random non-customers

if someone just showed up at your doorr would you just letthem in to use the toilet? no. so why is a business different? u can't jsut run around expecting to pee whereever you want to that's the way dogs think

I wouldn't let someone into my house for safety reasons, that's obviously not an issue with a public bar. And no, it's not a "god given right of random non-customers" but it's pretty mean spirited of the person who turned her away.

I really hope you never find yourself in the position that the OP was in. But maybe I'm just more sympathetic since I have a bowel disease that requires me to be in close proximity to a bathroom. Something like that really changes your perspective on these sorts of things.

[Zen Biology]

there is still a sense of entitlement "i may not be a customer and i'm not co0ntributing to your runnign costs but I still demand to use your facilities". it's good business yes to let ppl use your bathrooms but it's not like some right

[Fyvel]

there is still a sense of entitlement "i may not be a customer and i'm not co0ntributing to your runnign costs but I still demand to use your facilities". it's good business yes to let ppl use your bathrooms but it's not like some right

I don't think it's a sense of entitlement: in this case it seems like it was one person pleading with another to help her out in a tough situation.

I can understand businesses not wanting everyone on the street walking in and using their facilities - I think they are well within their rights to post signage about how their bathrooms are for customers only etc... but should have the basic decency to make exceptions in certain circumstances when people obviously really need to go.

[synergy]

I don't think it's a sense of entitlement: in this case it seems like it was one person pleading with another to help her out in a tough situation.

I can understand businesses not wanting everyone on the street walking in and using their facilities - I think they are well within their rights to post signage about how their bathrooms are for customers only etc... but should have the basic decency to make exceptions in certain circumstances when people obviously really need to go.

:yes:

This is how our bathrooms at work are. Customers only, but if anyone non-skeevy looking asks, we certainly let them. We are out in the boonies though, beside a gas station, so maybe all the really desperate people go there!

[rabid_child]

I've had desperate pee situations in Manhattan driving somewhere that took way longer than it should have. I once found a place to park (miracle!) went into a pizza shop, bought a bottle of water (all the while hopping around about to wet myself) and then asked where the restroom was. They didn't have a problem with me using it (thank goodness!). I've been stuck in situations where there was no where private to pee AND no were to stop and go. I was stuck in traffic on the Tappan Zee bridge once for TWO AND A HALF HOURS. I didn't have to go before the traffic, and it should have been 30 minutes to my parents' house. I ended up putting a towel across my lap and peeing into a tupperware container I had in my car and emptying it out the door. :D I also learned to always stop at the last exit before the bridge even if I don't think I have to go.

I think we can all understand the logical reasons for why places wouldn't let just anyone use their bathrooms, but when you have to go, sometimes desperation overtakes logic!!

[revelsunrise]

Well, I am a little curious about the law here. I know that if you serve food and/or beverages for customers to consume on the premises then you are required to have a public restroom. I'm just not sure how the law would define "public." Anybody know???

[*AHIMSA*]

Well, I am a little curious about the law here. I know that if you serve food and/or beverages for customers to consume on the premises then you are required to have a public restroom. I'm just not sure how the law would define "public." Anybody know???

That's not the always the case. Plenty of mom and pop places have posted "no public restroom" etc. or "no customer restroom" and so on.

[Moophius]

Well, I am a little curious about the law here. I know that if you serve food and/or beverages for customers to consume on the premises then you are required to have a public restroom. I'm just not sure how the law would define "public." Anybody know???

A public restroom is a restroom open to the public, whether or not the public buys anything. A restroom in a bar or restaurant is not public.

As for the requirement that bars and restaurants provide restrooms for customer use, it varies from place to place. In California, the law states that a place that serves food is required to have a bathroom for customer use, unless it is located within a reasonable walking distance (not sure exactly how far that is) of a public bathroom. I used to work in a restaurant that had a tiny toilet in a closet for employees, but we didn't allow customers to use it because 1) the only access was through the kitchen, which was an enormous potential liability, and 2) the septic tank was too small to handle large volumes of waste, and the pier on which we were located was too old to support a larger tank. However, there were public restrooms at the base of the pier, a hundred yards away, so we were in the clear. Of course, it was impossible to convince most of our customers of this fact; many of them felt inclined to scream at us, threaten to call their lawyers (or threaten to pee on our floors, as one other poster has suggested--classy move, that) and generally berate us as though being abusive would somehow change the reality of the situation.

[Minibean]

There are restroom access cards available for people with conditions such as IBD and IC. There is of course no guarantee they'll work, but they could get you access in a situation where it otherwise would be denied. For those who have a medical condition it might be worth it to check and see if there's a card for your condition.

[Skylark]

Relax, Moophius--I wasn't suggesting that most people with normal bladders should threaten to pee on the floor. It was a joke.

Peeing in the woods, on the other hand, was a serious suggestion.